Heaven
by Ginnie
Summary: Doesn't it seem funny, how a story would start right at the moment a life ends? Sendoh Akira finds that in order to reach his own heaven, he must pass through others' first. What lies at the end of his journey remains unknown, and the road ahead seems lon
1. Prologue: Ending

title: Heaven -- Prologue - "Ending"   
author: Ginnie   
genre: Angst? Romance? Drama? Tragedy?... General? I dunno.   
rating: could be G... or PG...   
notes: Obviously the plot of this is pretty much the same as Mitch Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". I just decided to put a SenRu touch on the plot. Pretty much.

* * *

How strange it must be, to begin a story with the ending. Yet, this is where this one begins -- at the end of Sendoh Akira's days on earth. 

He was a fine man -- handsome, smart, idolized, adored, young and in perfect health... Who would have guessed that his life would come to a tragic, early close? No one, thought the bystanders and the curious and horrified onlookers of a bloody wreck in the middle of Kanagawa. 

Close by, ambulance sirens ripped through the unnerving silence. Police taped off the area. News reporters blabbed rapidly infront of cameras, gesturing frantically toward the ruin and pulling shocked witnesses into sight of the televiewing public. Paramedics rushed to haul two battered bodies onto stretchers and into the waiting vehicles. Other people -- ordinary citizens, if you will -- surveyed the mess that the accident had wreaked. 

Amidst this chaos were two other stretchers, each carrying bulk covered entirely with a white sheet. Two other victims who lost their lives in the crash. 

Yes, this is the ending, but it makes no sense. What happened, you may ask? 

This is where our story truly begins... 

=========== 

"Akira, you moron, you're taking too much time. What the hell are you looking for, anyway?" Koshino complained, fuming as he watched his friend rummage in his closet. 

Too busy with searching to formulate a concrete answer, Sendoh decided instead to ignore his friend. _ I know I put them in this drawer... Where the hell did they disappear to? _ He had something more important to concentrate on, anyway. 

No, not there. Nope, not in here either... _Where the hell -- _ "OW!" 

He had attempted to straighten up, and subsequently bonked his head hard under one of the open drawers which he oh-so-intelligently forgot to close before leaning over the muddle of brightly colored socks at the bottom of the cabinet. 

"That's it, Akira, I'm leaving. We were supposed to meet Hikoichi nearly an hour ago, and thanks to your perpetual untidiness, we are running EXTREMELY late." 

A Winnie the Pooh t-shirt suddenly flew in Koshino's direction, and he was hard put to ignore the various pieces of Mickey Mouse underwear and other character clothes being carelessly tossed over Sendoh's shoulder. 

"Waitwaitwait, Hiro-kun, just let me find my keys," Sendoh called from somewhere behind the polos and black uniform pants hanging inside. 

A chinkling sound made Sendoh look up (and hit his head again on the hanger bar) and turn around. Rubbing furiously at the sore spot on his head which he swore was growing a bump -- "Hell, how am I supposed to comb my hair properly with such a big lump?!" -- he smiled sheepishly at Koshino, from whose finger dangled a ring of keys. 

"Where'd you find it?" 

Koshino glared. "Idiot. They were right here on your dresser, in plain sight. If you'd told me earlier what you were looking for, we would've saved a LOT of time and gotten out of here so much earlier." Sendoh just kept smiling. "And that doesn't work on me, Sendoh Akira. It may with the women -- though I have no idea in hell why -- but certainly not on me." 

"Ok, ok... Now, where's my jacket?" He made as if to turn back and search inside his closet, when Koshino grabbed it from his bed and threw it at him. 

"There. Can we go? NOW?!" 

---------------------- 

"Oh, oh, wait a sec..." 

Koshino growled in frustration as Sendoh suddenly stopped the car in front of a store displaying exquisite crystal figurines in its window. Aida grunted in the backseat as the seatbelt dug into his torso, having been thrown forward by the unexpected halt. "Oof! Na, Sendoh-senpai, where did you learn to drive? I don't --" 

"Shut up, Hikoichi, you're making my headache worse." 

Sendoh cheerfully unbuckled his seatbelt and grinned at Koshino. "If you weren't so tense, you wouldn't have a headache in the first place, Hiro-kun," he chirped happily as he climbed out of the car. "Don't lock the doors before I get back!" 

Koshino lunged for Sendoh -- but, having forgotten that he had the seatbelt strapped across his chest, was kept against the seatback. "Damn you, perky hedgehog!" 

Sendoh smiled yet again -- "One of these days I am going to punch his teeth out. Maybe he won't be so keen to smile then." -- and made his way inside the store. 

Koshino pouted and crossed his arms in front of him. "For Kami's sake, he's bouncing! Oh, for crying out loud..." 

Sendoh, meanwhile, was examining a shelf full of animal figurines, looking for one in particular. _ I swear, I saw it here just last week... _

"Can I help you, sir?" 

Mindful of the two bonks he received in the span of less than ten minutes earlier, Sendoh oh-so-carefully stood properly and turned to face the attendant, who was blushing furiously. "Uh, yeah, actually... Last week there was this little fox figurine over here, and I can't seem to find it..." 

"Down here, sir." The attendant crouched down and retrieved a delicate crystal piece from a much lower shelf. 

"Hey, thanks..." He ran a hand through his spiked hair and smiled at the attendant -- poor girl, her face probably couldn't get any redder. 

The girl stared down at her scuffling feet. "Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" 

"What? Uh, no, this'll be fine, thanks." Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a display case full of silver accessories and walked over to it. 

_ Hm... Would he wear this if I gave it to him? _ "Excuse me, sir? Could I get this one? No, no, not that. The one to the left. No, your other left. Okay, above -- sorry, below that. There, that one." 

The attendant handed him a link bracelet -- plain, absolutely no design whatsoever. _ Yeah, he probably would. Nothing fancy. Hopefully, he'll like this. _

Sendoh paid for his purchases and left the store -- much to the disappointment of the counter girls. He climbed into his car and gently settled the wrapped crystal article into the compartment by the gear stick. _ I don't want this to break before I give it to Kaede... Not like what happened with the others... _ He winced inwardly as the memory of shattered porcelain figures surfaced in his mind. 

"Finally. Now, can we go home?" 

"Uh-huh, yeah, sure. Do I drop Hikoichi off first, or would you pref --" 

"Just go, Akira. The sooner I get back home, the sooner I can take my aspirin and sleep off this headache." 

Aida chuckled. Sendoh put the car into gear and faced the fuming Koshino. "It's not just those dangerous drugs that can be overdone, Hiro-kun. You'd better go easy on those tablets." 

Needless to say, Koshino retaliated with a blow to Sendoh's head. 

Sendoh merely laughed it off. He couldn't help but feel excited. He hadn't seen Rukawa in four days. _ Four long days... _ And Rukawa didn't know that Sendoh intended to head over. _ He's not really fond of surprises... But I do hope this'll be okay with him, just dropping in for a quick hello... Maybe a kiss or two... Then... _ He shook his head, wondering why he couldn't think about Rukawa without going there. _ Gods, I love him. _

"Akira, you dolt, keep your focus on driving!" Koshino exclaimed as Sendoh brought the car a little too close to the sidewalk for the nth time. Sendoh swerved a little too quickly leftwards to return the car to the middle of the right lane, and Koshino cursed. Aida merely swayed in the backseat. 

---------------------- 

I wish I could say that the next 30 minutes were uneventful. But if I do that, there'd be no story. And we can't have that -- after all, the story's just begun. 

As usual, Sendoh was whistling along with the song on the radio, Aida was blabbering about the song's history, and Koshino was feeling quite pissed at Sendoh and muttering about stupid hedgehogs who couldn't keep their attention on more pressing matters like driving safely. 

"Quit playing with that. You're going to drop it. Not like I care, but you probably would. And knowing you, you're bound to start complaining. Then I'd hit you, and you'd complain even more, and we'll never get home." 

Sendoh made that no-expression expression he usually wore when he was pretending to be innocent. He was listening to the song and absently fiddling with the bracelet in his right hand... He had to admit that Koshino had a point. But as he moved his hand to shift the car into fifth gear, the bracelet slipped from his fingers. 

Mindlessly, he dove down to catch it. 

By the time he recovered... 

A red Mazda was in front of his car. 

Headed right toward them. 

Frantically, he slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel to the right... 

The opposing driver had done the same... Tires squealed, both cars skidded... The hood of each met with lampposts on opposite sides of the street. The passengers and drivers jolted forward, heads slamming into the steering wheel and dashboard... The back of the cars whipped around and met... There was a sickening sound of metal kissing metal... 

Then came the pain. The immense, blinding, wrenching pain, searing through Sendoh's body. He forced himself to open his eyes and look over at his passengers. Both were unconscious. Koshino's head was leaning against the window, a steady but small trickle of blood running down the glass surface. Aida's cheek and temple bore witness to a collision with the window. 

Desperately trying to stay awake, Sendoh attempted to climb out of his car. Dimly, he wondered why he couldn't move his leg, and looked down at it. 

"Oh, shit..." The crash into the lamppost had severly damaged the front of the car, and the force had been strong enough to deform the inside and pin Sendoh's leg to the chair. Random pieces of torn plastic and glass from the dashboard and windshield stood out against his skin, drawing blood. 

_Dizzy..._ He put his left hand to his head and felt a sticky substance covering his forehead. He didn't need to pull his hand away to know what it was. _ Fuck. I'm bleeding. _

The red liquid dripped down over his eyebrows and over his eyes, blurring his vision. He felt a strong urge to close his eyes, to just sit back and wait for whatever rescue team might pull them out... _ NO! I have to get Hiro and Hikoichi out of here now. Who knows how long it will take them... _ Through his red-tinted vision, he managed to catch sight of the opposite driver. He was leaning against the seatback, head tilted to one side at an uncomfortable angle. The Mazda's windshield had shattered, and shards of glass were partially burrowed into the other driver's skin -- his face, neck, arms... The sight of so much blood made Sendoh nauseous. He wondered about the other driver and who of the two of them might be in a better condition. 

He was obviously unconscious. Sendoh didn't bother trying to call out to the other driver, see if he was otherwise alright -- it would just be a waste of breath and energy, he told himself. Through hastily dimming eyes he tried to make out the face of the other driver, tried to see who it was... 

Oblivious to the fact that the lamppost he had rammed into was headed downward... 

_Red. That was Shohoku's color. _

He said that it was his favorite color other than blue... 

The first gift he gave me was red... 

... 

Kaede... 

"Aishiteru, koi..." 

And the falling lamppost slammed onto the roof of Sendoh's car, digging in, forcing the thin metal of the roof down... 

Onto Sendoh's head... 

Killing him on the spot. 

_--tsuzuku--_

* * *

Waaaaaaaaah!!! Ok, this may not exactly be the best thing I've ever written. Actually, this is the first time I've written something that isn't entirely sap. And this is the first chapter fic that I actually have intentions of finishing. Ok, just let me clear something up. I never said anything about the other driver being Kaede. Sensen's just too busy thinking of him. All that red thing? The blood's in his eyes, remember? Rose-tinted and all that. 

Anyway, tell me what you think about it!... Oh, yeah, NO FLAMING PLEASE! =Þ 


	2. Chapter 1: The First Lesson

**title:** Heaven -- Chapter 1 - Arrival   
**summary:** Sendoh finds himself in a strange place, full of questions as to where he was and why he was there. He meets someone from his past who helps him figure it out -- but he is far from fully understanding it.   
**notes:** I suck at summaries. Just read it. Onegai shimasu?...

* * *

Sendoh saw nothing of his final moment, nothing of when the streetlamp fell onto the roof of his car or the crowd that gradually grew around the wreckage of the accident. 

In stories that involve death, the soul floats around, surveying what has happened to them, to their bodies, to everyone around them. These people seem to get a second chance, are allowed to resume their place in the timeframe of the world of the living. 

Sendoh, it appeared, was not getting a second chance. 

=========== 

_ Where... _

...Am I? 

He opened his eyes. The sky above him was littered with pinks, purples, misty blues, fiery reds. Sendoh was floating above a calm sea, his arms extended -- _ to what? What am I reaching for? _

Where...? 

The car. Yes, and Koshino berating him from the front passenger seat. He remembered that. Aida quiet in the back seat. That too. He remembered taking his eyes off the road to catch the bracelet -- _ The bracelet... _ He searched his pockets. Nothing. 

He closed his eyes. Crashing into the lamppost, colliding with the other car. Seeing his friends unconscious and bleeding. The shards of glass poking out beneath the skin of his arms. 

No pain. He opened his eyes and looked down at himself. No wounds, no blood... He looked the same as he did when he had left the house with Koshino. 

Then he remembered. The other driver. _ Who was he? _ He again closed his eyes, trying to focus on the memory of the unknown person, trying to see if he could identify him. But it was like trying to hold water in his hands -- the more he struggled to grasp it, the faster it slipped away. Stranger was that he could not _ feel _ any emotional connection to it, as if he were just somebody who was reading a fictional story and knew that it wasn't real. 

_ Did he get out alright? _

Was he better off than me? 

Where... 

... Is my pain? 

That was what was missing. Even after having survived 3 operations, he still felt occasional aches in his chest due to a hereditary weak heart. At the last game he played, six months ago, he'd sprained his ankle and was told to keep off of it, lest he wanted it to take longer to heal. The throbbing pain in his head after banging into the steering wheel. The somewhat small pangs in his arms and wherever else glass had burrowed into his skin. 

He couldn't feel them. He couldn't feel anything. 

_ So this is what being dead feels like. _

Below him, the scene changed. The ruins of what appeared to once have been a grand carnival lay about him -- a carousel with chipped paintwork, booths spelling out games and challenges that now stood empty, the remains of ferris wheel carriages littered by the side of the main wheel frame. Above him, the sky changed to a dismal, dark, cloudy gray. He closed his eyes. 

_ Where am I? _

=========== 

_ September 14, 1997. The day of the practice game against Shohoku. _

"What the hell?" Sendoh bolted upright and grabbed his alarm clock off the table. 10:30. He shook it. Nothing. 

"Fuck. Of all the days for this thing to die on me." 

He only had time for a quick shower and a glass of milk. Then back up to his room, dumping his Ryonan Basketball Club shirt into his gym bag -- "Where the hell is my jersey?" He slapped a hand to his head. "Oh, right, it's in school. Damn, damn, DAMN!" 

HIs sister watched in mild interest as he flew around his room. "Your tires are flat. You're gonna have to walk." 

"Who cares about walking? I'm running!" He dashed down to the refrigerator, grabbed three bottles of water and jammed them into his bag. "Ja, neesan. Don't wait up for me!" 

"Akira! Your keys!" 

"Oh, right! Thanks!" 

------- 

"SENDOH!! What the hell do you think you're doing?! YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!!!!" 

"Ahehe... Sorry, coach. Kinda overslept." 

Everyone on the team welcomed him, and Sendoh could practically feel their excitement. He changed quickly into his jersey uniform and strolled leisurely onto the court. "Let's start, shall we?" 

As he tugged on the waistband of his shorts, he got that uneasy feeling that one gets when you think somebody's looking at you. He turned to look a short distance away. 

_ Man... Does he have issues? Why's he glaring at me like that? _

He wanted to smile at the pale figure pointedly staring at him, make a "peace offering" of some sort, but for some reason he couldn't. He was captivated by the blue fox-like eyes that stood out on the poker face. 

"What're you looking at, Sendoh-senpai? Oh, that's Rukawa Kaede! Oh, I see, you're trying to judge how good he is! You'll probably be guarded by him, Sendoh-senpai, I hear he's the best among the first graders! And -- " 

"SENDOH!! How long are you just going to stand there?! EVERYONE ELSE IS IN POSITION ALREADY, DAMMIT!!" 

He turned to his infuriated coach and mustered a smile, which sapped away the coach's anger, then jogged into his place. True enough, the person he was studying a while ago was the one who stepped next to him, indicating that he was assigned to mark him. This time, he managed to smile at the other player. 

The cobalt blue eyes glared back at him momentarily before focusing on the ball that was now in mid-air, waiting for either of the centers to control it. 

_ And so it begins. _ He smiled again at Rukawa, who only glared back. 

_ I'll beat you, _ those eyes said to him. 

------- 

"Oi." 

"..." 

Sendoh offered his hand. "Good game." 

A brief glare, then Rukawa slapped his hand against Sendoh's. 

Sendoh watched the stoic figure turn and walk away, amused. 

_ Yup. He'll be somebody to watch out for in the near future. Good luck, Rukawa Kaede. _

=========== 

Sendoh awoke in a teacup. One of those rides that were sort of like ferris wheels, only horizontal. _ What am I doing here? _

Gingerly he clambered out of the cup and examined his surroundings. It was an utterly woebegone place, smelling faintly of cotton candy and stale popcorn and giving off a ghostly air. Here and there were bits and pieces of days long gone by, when this would've been one of the greatest attractions for children. 

Vaguely, Sendoh tried to imagine what the carnival would have looked like in its prime. As he slid his eyes closed and let his mind go to work, he heard a voice behind him that made him jump. 

"Lovely place, isn't it?" 

He turned, and saw a girl dressed in a plaid blue shirt and loose jeans. "Well? Don't you think so?" 

Obviously, she was waiting for him to give an answer. He wanted to say that it was utterly depressing, that nothing about it looked wonderful or nice, not even in the least. 

She smiled at him. "Of course you don't," she said, as if reading his mind. 

Something stirred in his memory as he looked at the girl, just standing there and smiling openly at him. They stood in silence, He didn't know her, that was for sure. He made as if to ask her who she was... And found he couldn't speak. He tried again. Nothing. 

He raised an eyebrow in question, and the girl laughed. 

"Poor guy. And to think that most of your life was spent not being able to shut up. Well, this is the first stage. It's only right that you're deprived of the ability to speak, so that you may listen to the silence." 

_ First stage? _

"Welcome to heaven, Sendoh Akira." 

He snorted. _ This is heaven? _ he wanted to say. 

"Not yours, Sendoh. This is _ my _ heaven," the girl said. "Each of us has his own idea of heaven. Before you get to yours, you must first pass through those of others." 

_ Why? _

"Alive, we have very vague thoughts of heaven, and little understanding of it. This is to help you realize what your heaven truly is, help you understand your life and how you lived it." 

_ Oh. _ He looked up at the gray sky. 

_ This is your heaven? Why -- _

"When I was a child, I loved coming here. This was once a grand place, Tokyo Pier. At least once a month, my parents would bring me here. We always tried each attraction at least once. They bought me lots and lots of cotton candy. Those times..." She swallowed, and tears sprung to her eyes. "On those days, they never fought, not once." 

She turned to look at Sendoh. "Do you see why this is my heaven, Sendoh Akira? This is the sole place I was happiest. When I died, I knew this was where I wanted to be." 

_ Yes, I see. But I don't understand why it looks like this. _

"That is merely how you see it. This was how you last saw Tokyo Pier. Remember, before you left for Kanagawa?" 

_ ... Yeah. Yeah, I do. _ Visions filled his mind, of children chasing each other up and down the pier, laughing joyfully. Of him sitting at the edge of the pier, watching the sun set and waiting in vain for a fish to bite. 

"Let me show you how I see it." 

Immediately, the scenery changed. The sky was a clear blue, not a single cloud in the sky. Everything was alive -- the carnival music, the sound of the tracks of the rides, the noise of carnival-goers. And everyone had happy, content smiles on their faces. He could feel the excitement and enthusiasm radiating off each person. 

The girl neared him and put a hand on his shoulder. "This is how I wanted to always remember Tokyo Pier." 

She smiled, and for some reason Sendoh found a certain familiarity in her smile. _ I know her. _

"Yeah, you should." 

_ Why? _

"Do you remember how you were introduced to basketball?" 

Sendoh closed his eyes, and in his mind's eye he saw a bright orange ball... heading his way. He winced. 

_ Ooooh... No thanks. I don't think I want to. _

She laughed, a melodious, tinkling laugh that was also familiar to him. "Sorry about that ball. My hands were slippery and I couldn't catch it." 

Now he was puzzled. _ ??? _

"You were at the neighborhood park with your parents. They had left you by the court while they went to talk to somebody. My friends and I were playing. One of them passed me the ball, but I wasn't able to get a good hold on it." 

He closed his eyes again. This time, he saw a girl in a plaid blue shirt and jeans jogging towards his younger self, her eyes full of pardon and concern. "You okay, kid?" the girl had said to him, gently touching the part of his head where the ball had hit him. 

_ Mieko. _ The name came to his mind. 

He looked at the girl, and sure enough, she was smiling at him. "There you go. I'm glad you remember." 

_ You taught me how to play. _

"And you were one stubborn student. Back then, when you couldn't do something, you would sit down, pout, and glare at me or at the ring." 

Sendoh laughed. _ I did? _

"Yeah, you did." 

_ And when I first went to school -- _

"I was there. Big sister thing and all that. My class was assigned to help you kids out the entire first half of the school year. And by the end of that half a year --" 

_ -- I was showing off to my classmates that I could dribble. _

"You looked so adorable, dribbling that small blue Orlando Magic ball." 

The two of them stood in silence, watching as the carnival progressed in front of them. 

_ Can I ask you something? _

"That's part of why you're here." 

_ You said that this was 'the first stage'. What did you mean by that? _

"I was wondering when you'd get to that," Mieko said. "You were always a curious kid. Well, like I said, I'm here to help you examine your earthly life, what you made of it, how you lived it." 

"There will be others after me, Sendoh. They, too, will help you, although their way of doing so might be different from mine." 

_ Who would these 'others' be? _

She paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "I really can't tell you, Sendoh. No, not that it's a secret or anything. It's because a lot of people affected your life one way or another. Since the only part of your life that I know is your first ten years, I have no idea who else is coming up. But I do know that you will learn something from all of them." 

_ Oh. _

He looked away from Mieko. People passed by him, talking and laughing and playfully arguing over which of the attractions to try next. He saw the children, chasing each other, fighting over balloon animals, laughing delightedly at the show that some clowns were putting on. There was a certain peace he felt as he witnessed all this laughter and joy. He was content. 

"You'll find, if you try, that you can talk now." 

Sendoh cleared his throat. "Thanks..." 

He let a few more moments pass in silence. Only now did it occur to him to ask -- 

"Mieko? How did you die?" 

She sighed. "I got hit by a truck." 

"What?" 

She smiled ruefully at him. "I was sixteen. It was a stormy night. My parents were fighting. I remember thinking that it was the worst fight they ever had. I ran down from my room. I wanted to try to make them stop fighting, stop shouting at each other. They yelled at me to get out. 

"I was stunned. Usually, they just tell me to go back up to my room, 'this doesn't concern you'. Shocked, I stumbled out of the house and onto the street. The rain beat down heavily on me. I was crying. 

"What was it about this time? I wondered. Why do they always have to fight? Just once, I wish they'd get along outside of Tokyo Pier. By that time, the Pier had already been shut down, and it looked like how you saw it when you arrived. I ran in the direction of the Pier, away from my house and all the fighting." 

She paused. "The rain was thick. I couldn't see, I didn't see..." 

Tears poured from Mieko's eyes. "I heard the blare of the truck's horn right before it hit me. I remember flying into the air, landing quite a distance from where I stood before I got hit. I remember the pain... All the blood... The yelling of the truck driver... 

"He was calling my name. Mieko, Mieko, open your eyes, he kept saying. Who was he? How did he know who I was? I tried to open my eyes and sit up, but it took too much effort and the pain was overwhelming. Stay awake, Mieko, help is coming, he was saying over and over again." 

Mieko sighed. "I'm so sorry, Mieko... I didn't see you. It was dark, I didn't see you." 

"Who was it?" 

"It was Konishi." 

"Konishi?" 

Mieko looked at Sendoh. "My best friend. I loved him dearly. When my parents would fight, I would walk out of the house and go to him. He always listened to me, knew what to say to calm me down. At one point, I told him I wanted to hurt myself, kill myself because I couldn't take it anymore. 

"Don't, he said. Why? I asked him. Because..." Mieko clasped her hands in front of her and looked down at them. "He must've given me at least fifty reasons why I should keep living, some serious, some hilarious. Then he took my hand, looked me straight in the eye, and told me that if I still wanted to kill myself, then I should let him go first, because he wasn't going to be able to live with himself knowing that he wasn't able to help the person he loved the most. And that's when I decided I wanted to live. 

"As I lay there on the cold, wet pavement, bleeding in his arms, I felt safe. Protected. I felt his hand draw my hair away from my face. Don't die, Mieko... Please. Hold on... 

"The sad thing is... I never told him. I have always loved him, but I was too scared to tell him. I wanted to, in my last moments. But the damage to my body was too much. I was having trouble just breathing. I wanted to touch his face, feel his heartbeat, tell him how much I loved him... But I couldn't. I couldn't hold on anymore. I felt his fingers on my lips..." 

Mieko bit back a sob. "And then I heard it. It was the barest of whispers, but it was there." She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I love you, Mieko, he whispered. Three words that went straight to my heart and stayed there. In that instant, I realized how much I had always wanted to hear it from him. And now that he finally said it, I knew I could die happily and in peace. 

"But when I first came here, before I met my first person, I wasn't at peace. I was a wreck inside. And this was my first lesson." 

Mieko turned to him, and Sendoh could see the sadness and longing in her eyes. "I had regrets. Unfinished business, if you will. They haunted me. This is your first lesson as well, Sendoh. You shouldn't have any regrets." 

"Don't you think it's a bit pointless to find that out when you're already dead and can't do anything about it?" 

A sad smile. "Not at all. You may not understand, but you will. In time." 

Dimly, Sendoh realized that Mieko's outline was becoming slightly blurred. Not only Mieko's, but everyone and everything around him seemed to be disappearing, returning to how it originally was when he first arrived. "Mieko, what -- " 

"My turn is over. I've told you what I had to. It's up to you to understand it." 

Sendoh watched in silence as she faded. Then, he realized that there was a question burning in his mind, something he desperately needed to know the answer to. 

"Mieko, wait! The other driver, the one in the other car." 

"What about him?" 

"Who was he? What happened to him?" 

Mieko smiled at him. "I can't tell you that now, Sendoh. But in time, in heaven's time, you shall know." 

"I have to know now, Mieko! It's tearing me up inside. I have to know who he was, and how he is right now!" 

But Mieko was gone. 

Leaving Sendoh standing alone in the middle of the run-down carnival. 

_--tsuzuku--_

* * *

Well. This was a little longer than I expected it to be. But I got so caught up in Mieko's death that I absolutely HAD to type everything that came to my mind. 

Whatcha think so far? Tell me everything. I can handle criticism (yeah right), as long as it isn't delivered as flames. If you liked it, do let me know, 'kay? I'm kinda experimenting with this whole lessons-to-learn thing, and heaven whatever, so I'm not entirely sure about how I'm doing. I can't criticize my work objectively, you know... Reviews would be highly appreciated! 


	3. Chapter 2: The Second Lesson

**title:** Heaven -- Chapter 2 - The Second Lesson   
**notes:** I suck at summaries. Just read it. Onegai shimasu?...

* * *

Sendoh looked around, still as confused as when he first came to "heaven". He glared at the broken teacups, at the carousel horses scattered in bits and pieces across the grounds of the carnival, over the tranquil surface of the sea that stretched out endlessly beside the pier. 

The sun was setting, lending the sky a fiery orange hue softly kissed by pink. To Sendoh's left, the moon was starting to peek through the clouds. For a moment, everything was at peace. 

Save for his thoughts, crashing turbulently in his mind like ocean waves in a storm. A maelstrom of violent memories played like a movie in his head -- fighting with his sister, his father yelling at and beating his mother, quarrels with his friends... The war, receiving the news that his stepfather would have to leave them, then later learning that he was not coming home... His mother in a state of lethargy after seeing their brave soldier underneath a thick sheet of glass supported by the wooden walls of the coffin... 

He did not know why he was remembering these now -- nor, exactly, did he care. All he wanted to do was to run, run far away from the fear and the pain and the heartache of the memories. 

And he did. His heels took flight, carrying him away yet strangely making the memories resonate loudly around him. 

_Where am I running to, anyway?_ Only now did he become conscious that the carnival had long since faded away from sight. He was now in a white space, with no sense of up or down or left or right or above or below... There was nothing, absolutely nothing. 

He dropped to all fours, strangely tired, a scream of something-nothing helplessness ripping from his throat and released into... 

_The ground?_ He looked down at a vast expanse of lush, green plains. _Now where am I?_

Vaguely Sendoh became aware that the grass was coming up to meet him -- or rather, he was falling softly onto the grass. 

He pulled himself into a sitting position, gazing at the rolling fields that stretched out farther than he could see. In the distance, small hills of green greeted his sight, and he could hear the steady flow of a nearby stream. 

"This is nice..." he murmured. He closed his eyes and lay back, the blades of grass tickling his back as his weight fell against them. 

"Get up." 

_Wha...?_ He opened one eye, wanting to glare at whoever had disturbed his rest. 

"I said get up. You're in the way of my croquet ball." 

_Make me._ But Sendoh did so, anyway. He pushed himself back into his sitting position. 

"That's better. You know, you should show a little respect for your elders. Especially to those to whom you gave a lot of trouble ." 

"I don't even know you." 

"Of course you don't. Never saw me, did you?" 

"So then, what are you doing here?" 

"I died. Duh." 

Sendoh nearly hit the man in frustration. "That's not what I meant, you dolt." 

The man threw him a sideward glance. "Ah, ah, ah. What did we say about respecting your elders?" 

"Hmph." He wanted to retort some more, but then the stranger reached out his hand. "Why's this your heaven, anyway?" 

"Name's Seymour. This is my heaven 'coz there ain't nothing for me to crash my car into." 

"Sendoh Akira. Pleasure," he replied listlessly, not wanting to give the man the satisfaction of a proper response. 

"Not nearly enough. So anyway, I'm here because I'm supposed to teach you something, although right now I can't still figure it out. Some teacher I am, huh?" He let loose a hearty chortle. 

Sendoh rolled his eyes. He wanted to leave this guy already, they hadn't been together for ten minutes and he was already annoyed. 

"Hold your horses. Oh wait, you ain't got any, do you? And besides, if you knew any amount of restraint, then I wouldn't be sitting here irritating the hell out of you, would I?" 

"What does my restraint have to do with you?" 

Seymour "harrumph"-ed and locked his hands behind his head, purposely hitting Sendoh with his elbow. "Well, stupid boy, your restraint -- or lack of it -- is why I'm here." 

"And that is because?" 

He sighed, and turned to look at the youth sitting impatiently beside him. "Don't you know, boy? You killed me." 

:

: 

"Akira, do be careful with that ball. It might roll out into the street." 

Little Sendoh smiled at his mom, blue eyes twinkling. "Yes, okaasan." He ran off across the path, dribbling the ball his dad had just bought him for his ninth birthday. 

He could hear the children playing nearby, and he entertained himself with imagining that they were in awe of his dribbling skills. 

"Oi!" 

Sendoh stopped to smile at whoever had called his name -- a pretty girl with brown hair up in pigtails. 

"What's your name?" 

"I'm Akira, and I'm gonna be the best basketball player in the entire world!" 

The girl laughed and clapped her hands. "Yoroshiku, Akira. Atashi wa Haruko desu." (1) 

He shook the girl's outstretched hand, and as he did so the ball fell out of his slackened grip and rolled toward the park gates. 

"Ah, matte!" he called, chasing after the ball. It bounded out into the city streets, and little Sendoh ran after it, thoughts of cars and safe street-crossing all flying out of his mind. 

: 

_I can't take another day of this. Tomorrow, I'm gonna go tell my boss that I quit._ There came the familiar pang of pain again. _After I go to the doctor._

The man turned up the radio, humming the tune that had just started to play, occasionally singing the words, steadily making his way home to his wife and kids. 

Out of nowhere, a brightly multicolored ball bounced out into the street, a slightly pudgy boy chasing after it. He slammed on the brakes and the car squealed to a stop, a mere foot away from the boy, who picked up the ball, smiled gleefully, and ran back to the park. 

The jolt of adrenaline forced his heart to beat furiously, and this heart is not a strong one. He willed himself to calm down. _That was dangerous... Where are that kid's parents?_

Satisfied that the jaywalking boy was now nowhere to be seen, the man continued on his way. He turned left onto his street, and smiled as his small, white suburban home came into view. A peculiar sense of tiredness washed over him, drew his eyes closed... 

The car swerved. 

And slammed into a tree on the street, just as the driver's wife came out to greet the homecomer. 

:

: 

"You see that, boy?" 

"Oh, no..." Sendoh murmured. "I didn't know.. Kami-sama, I didn't know..." 

Seymour nodded. "You couldn't have known. You were too young then, too carefree." 

Blue eyes saddened, a new sense of helplessness and apology washing over Sendoh. He stood up and squared his shoulders. 

"Whatcha doing, boy?" 

"Getting ready to pay for it. That's what I'm here for, right? Justice?" 

The man chuckled. "No, hell no. I've long since forgiven you for that. I'm here to teach you something, and that's what I'm gonna do." 

Sendoh relaxed and looked down, but then shifted his gaze to meet the serious, black eyes of his teacher. "It's just not fair though. It was my stupidity, running out there like that. Why should you have to die on account of me? It's not fair." 

"Life ain't fair, boy. Thought you'd know that by now. If it were fair, no good people would ever have to die young." 

"Is that my lesson?" 

"Nope, that's not it." 

Seymour waved his hand, and the scenery changed. Now they were standing amidst a crowd of people all shrouded in black. Sendoh immediately realized that they were at a funeral. 

"My funeral, kid. Look at them." 

He did as he was told, though he could not see the point of it. He did not recognize anybody -- not that he expected he would. 

Again, the man laughed. "Half of these people I only met once in work. They don't know me at all." 

"So why are they here, then?" 

"Yeah, see boy, the thing about the human soul is that it knows that somehow, someway, all lives intersect. For example, see that fat little brat over there? His father was a janitor at the company, gave me a coffee once. This boy went on to become president of that very same company. First desk job he got working for 'em was at my desk. 

"We're all connected. You can no more separate one life from another than you can separate the river from the sea. So here's your lesson, boy. Hey, you listening?" 

Sendoh was too lost in thought to pay attention. "It's not fair. I should be in that coffin, not you." 

"Yeah, so you say. But look at it this way. When I was alive, other people died instead of me. It happens everyday. The plane that you should've been on but missed crashes into Mount Fuji. When your teammates get sick and miss the game but you're out there playing. You think it's random, kid? Stuff like these? 

"There ain't no random acts in this 'ere world. There's a balance to everything that happens. One flower withers, another blooms in its stead. Birth and death are part of a whole. Something good will always come out of something bad. It may not be immediate, could take a couple more decades before it actually does happen, but it will." 

"So what good came out of your death, then?" 

Seymour smiled. "How do you think you lived to be eighteen, kid?" 

"I... But we didn't even know each other then. We were strangers." 

The man put an arm around Sendoh's shoulders. "Strangers," he said, "are just family you have yet to come to know." 

At that, he released his hold on Sendoh and pulled away. "That's it then, boy. I'm leaving. You go on, too. There are others waiting for you." 

Sendoh nodded, but then reached out to take hold of Seymour's shoulder. "Wait, I need you to tell me one thing." 

"I've told you everything you need to know. Or weren't you listening? I don't feel like giving a repeat lecture." 

"No, no, I got that part perfectly." 

"What is it, then? I ain't got all day. Well actually, I do, since there ain't no night in this 'ere heaven of mine." 

"The other driver, what happened to him? Who was -- er, is he?" 

Seymour let out a sigh. " 'Fraid I can't tell you that, son. Ain't my place to let you know." 

"Oh, come on! Why not?" 

"You'll get it at the end." 

"At the end of what?" He became aware that Seymour's outline was steadily becoming fainter, he was disappearing into mist. 

"Wait, don't leave yet, you haven't answered my question!" 

But he was gone. 

Once again, Sendoh was alone. 

_--tsuzuku--_

* * *

(1) sorry, couldn't resist. Fuuchouin Kazuki with short hair and a pink kimono popped into my head. Hey, wouldn't it be a cool reason for Kae-chan to have some sort of spite toward Haruko because she met Akira-kun first? Þ 

This is dedicated to Hanabi Reeza, for no particular reason. Nyahahaha, jodan... I luv this girl. She kept me company via SMS and gave me Haru Wo Daiteita scanlations... 

Gomen ne... Long overdue update... I'd only recently acquired my own copy of "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" (by Mitch Albom) -- last January, actually. But I've been so busy with schoolwork, what with this being my graduating year and all. So now, I have lots more free time since school's already out for summer break. Inspiration takes so long to hit me (probably doesn't have a sense of direction, just like me hehe)... 

Yes, this guy's been inspired by the Blue Man from the book. Actually, I'd just gone from playing Final Fantasy X and for some reason Auron popped into my mind, and I imagined him crashing a car into a tree and it looked pretty good, actually. 

Whatcha think so far? Tell me everything. I can handle criticism (yeah right), as long as it isn't delivered as flames. If you liked it, do let me know, 'kay? I'm kinda experimenting with this whole lessons-to-learn thing, and heaven whatever, so I'm not entirely sure about how I'm doing. I can't criticize my work objectively, you know... Reviews would be highly appreciated! 


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